Operating mechanism for tracker-bars.



P. W. BULL.

OPERATING MECHANISM FOR TRACKER BARS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY15,'1911.

Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

(OLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH COuWASHlNflTON, D. c.

P. W. BULL.

OPERATING MECHANISM FOR TRACKER BARS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 15, 1911.

Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

2 SHEETSSHEE T 2.

/ NV 5 N TOR WITNESSBS COLUMBIA PLANOGIAPH C0,, WASHINGTON, D. c.

FRANK WESLEY BULL, OF OSHAWA, ONTARIO, CANADA.

OPERATING MECHANISM FOR. TRACKER-BARS.

Original application filed March 10, 1911, Serial No. 613,503.

Serial No. 627,191.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK WESLEY BULL, of the town of Oshawa, in the county of Ontario, in the Province of Ontario, Oanada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Operating Mechanisms for Tracker-Bars, of which the following is the specification.

My invention relates to improvements in operating mechanisms for tracker bars and the object of the invention is to devise a simple and eflicient valve operating mechanism for imparting the longitudinal movement to the tracker bar such as described in my divisional application No. 618,503, and it consists essentially of a valve casing, a pair of valve chambers therein, a vacuum chamber and a chamber communicating with the atmosphere, a valve operating in each valve chamber, pneumatics communicating with the valve chambers and a selecting device for operating the valve corresponding to the end tracker bar duct as hereinafter more particularly explained by the following specification.

Figure 1, is a front elevation of my device operatively connected to a tracker bar. Fig. 2, is a plan view of Fig. 1 of my device. Fig. 8, is a rear detail elevation of my valve box. Fig. 41, is a sectional elevation of my valve box. Fig. 5, is an enlarged sectional detail of one of the valves located in the valve box.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each figure.

I will first describe generally the construction of the tracker bar and parts coacting with my valve mechanism to impart longitudinal movement to the bar.

A is the frame of the instrument.

A is the tracker bar provided with stems A and A and A slidably held within the side portions 2 and 2 of the frame A. The tracker bar A is provided with the usual eighty-eight note ducts A A are a series of supplemental ducts located between the note ducts, that is to say, directly above the partition dividing the note ducts.

A is a duct secured to the back of the tracker bar A and into which the ducts A lead. The duct A is provided with a nipple A A and A are supplemental ducts formed Specification of Letters Patent.

Divided and this application filed May 15,

in the tracker bar in proximity to each end thereof and substantially opposite the path of travel of each edge of the paper of the music roll.

A and A are nipples extending from the ducts A and A A and A are bearings for supporting the music roll and A is the take-up roll.

B is the main tube leading from the main reservoir to the wind chest B.

I will now describe my valve mechanism for imparting the required movement to the bar A and forming the subject matter of the present application.

O is the valve box designed to control the movement of the tracker bar when the ducts A and ducts A and A are uncovered.

I will now describe the construction of the valve box O.

O is the lower valve chamber (see Fig. 4) and C the upper valve member. The lower valve chamber O comprises the base board 0 having recesses C and G into which ducts O and C extend, the recesses 0* and C are provided with pouches O extending over the same.

D is a partition extending across the valve chamber intermediatcly of the height thereof and dividing such chamber into a vacuum chamber D and the chamber D which is open to the atmosphere.

D are orifices extending through the partition D above and below which are secured the upper and lower valve seats D and D is the valve stem extending through the orifices D and D The lower end of the valve stem is provided with the buttons D resting upon the pouch O I)" and D are the upper and lower valves designed to co-act alternately with the upper and lower valve seats D and D respectively.

11 and E are the lower pneumatics.

E and E are ducts leading from the lower pneumatics E and E to the orifices D F and F are the upper pneumatics supported upon the end boards F at each end of the upper valve chamber C The valve chamber G is similarly constructed to the lower valve chamber 0 as hereinbefore described and is provided with similar ducts F leading from the upper pneumatics F and F to the orifices F* and F 5 in which the valves F and F operate and co-act with the seats F 8 and F Be- Patented Mar. 26, 1912.

neath the upper valve chamber C is located a supplementalvalve chamber Gr having a base board Gr supported upon the top board C by the end pieces C G and G are ducts formed in the base board G, such ducts being provided with vertical portions G and G extending through the upper face of the board G.

Gr and Gr are nipples secured in the outer ends of the ducts G and G (see Fig. 1).

C anclC are nipples secured in the ducts C and O.

C and C are crossed tubes connecting the nipple G with the nipple C and the nipple Gr with the nipple C H is a divided wind chest, the portions H of which communicate with the vacuum chamber D of the lower valve chamber C by means of the orifice H H is a tube leading from the portions H of the wind chest H to the main wind chest B.

I is a tube leading from the portions H of the wind chest H to the tube A secured to the tracker bar A and with which the ducts A communicate.

J is a slide valve held against the board G by the springs J and J The slide valve J is provided with a central cross bar J 3 connected by links J 4 and J 5 to the lugs F and F 11 secured to the movable portions of the upper pneumatics F and F.

J 6 and J 7 are nipples extending through the slide valve J and forming ducts leading to the lower face of the slide valve.

H and H are nipples leading into the portions H of the wind chest H.

H and H are tubes leading from the nipples H and H to the nipples J G and J K is a wind chest secured to the casing of the upper valve chamber C and communicating with the vacuum chamber C by means of the orifice K.

K is a tube leading from the wind chest K to the main wind chest B.

L and L are nipples secured in the ducts L and L shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4 where they lead into the pouch recesses L and L L and L are tubes leading from the nipples L and L to the nipples A and A communicating with the orifices A and A of the tracker bar.

M is a link pivotally connected at each end to the movable portions of the lower pneumatics E and E.

N is a lever pivotally connected upon the bracket N intermediately of its length. The outer end of the lever N is pivotally connected to the flattened end of the stem A The opposite end of the lever is connected by a link N to the lug 1x secured to the lower pneumatic E. The opposite end of the link passes through the enlarged opening in the lever N and is secured in position therein by the semi-spherical nuts N 4 and N bearing against each side of the lever T.

Having described the principal parts involved in my invention I will briefly describe the operations of the same.

It will be understood that, as the perforated paper of the music roll passes over the tracker bar with each edge of the paper normally and substantially covering or partially covering the ducts A and A and the ducts A are also normally covered, should the perforations of the paper, however, for any reason be out of alinement with the note ducts of the tracker bar it will necessarily uncover the supplemental ducts of the tracker bar located between the note ducts. For the purpose of illustration we will assume that the paper has moved in the direction of the arrow or that the edge of the paper or the position of the perforations therein are faulty thereby uncovering the duct A and the ducts A. When this takes place the air passes through the tube L, through the nipple L of the tube, into the recess L beneath the valves F and F thereby raising the pouch thereof and the valve off the seat F and against the seat F By this operation suction is produced from the upper pneumatic F, through the duct F orifice K, wind chest K, tube K leading to the main wind chest B which is connected to the main bellows by the tube B. This operation draws the pneumatic F into its closed position allowing the pneumatic F which remains open to the atmosphere to open. The pneumatics F and F as hereinbefore described are connected by the links J 4 and J 5 to the slide valve J thereby moving the slide valve so that the nipple J registers with the extension G of the duct G This operation allows the air to pass from the ducts A through the tube A tube I, through the wind chest H, tube H nipple J duct G leading to the nipple Gr communicating with the tube C and the nipple C communicating with the recess C beneath the pouch C of the valve D to the left of Fig. 1- thereby raising the valve disk D off the seat D and lifting the valve disk D against the seat D and thereby placing the pneumatic E in communication with the vacuum chamber D by means of the duct E and thereby drawing the pneumatic E into its closed position. This operation moves the tracker bar by means of the link N and the lever N so as to carry the note ducts into alinement with the perforations of the music roll. It will of course be understood that the same operation takes place should the paper move in the opposite direc' tion or should the duct A and the duct A at the opposite end of the tracker bar be open simultaneously to the atmosphere. WVhen such is the case of course air passes through the tube L through the nipple L, into the recess beneath the valve F thereby lifting such valve and thereby bringing the pneumatic F into communication with the vacuum chamber C By this operation the slide valve J is moved in the opposite direction to that previously described thereby bringing the nipple J in a position to register with the ducts G and G Air then passes through the uncovered ducts A, through the tube I, wind chest H, tube H through the nipple Gr and duct G to the nipple Gr from whence it passes through the tube C to the nipple C connected by the duct C to the recess C thereby lifting the corresponding valve supported over the same and bringing the pneumatic E into communication with the vacuum chamber D through the duct E This operation closes the pneumatic E thereby moving the tracker bar in the opposite direction to that hereinbefore described.

It will be seen from this description that I have devised a very simple device whereby the tracker bar may be pneumatically moved so as to carry the note ducts of the same into alinement with the perforations of the music roll thereby insuring that the perforations of the paper track with the note ducts of the tracker bar.

What I claim as my invention is,

1. An operating mechanism for a horizontally movable tracker bar, having supplemental ducts located just behind the partitions between the note ducts and end ducts, comprising a valve boX having a pair of valve chambers communicating with the end ducts of the tracker bar and valves and a vacuum chamber, opposing pneumatics communicating with the valve chambers, and means including a slide valve operated by the uncovering of the supplemental ducts for raising the valve corresponding to the uncovered end duct, as and for the purpose specified.

2. An operating mechanism for a horizontally movable tracker bar, having supplemental ducts located just behind the partitions between the note ducts and end ducts, comprising a valve box having a pair of valve chambers communicating with the end ducts of the tracker bar and valves and a vacuum chamber, opposing pneumatics communicating with the valve chambers and a slide valve operated by the uncovering of the supplemental ducts designed to open up communication between the uncovered end duct and the corresponding valve chamber, as and for the purpose specified.

3. An operating mechanism for a horizontally movable tracker bar, having supplemental ducts located just behind the partitions between the note ducts and end ducts, comprising a valve box comprising an upper and lower valve chamber each divided into a vacuum and atmospheric chamber, pneumatics supported at the ends of the valve chambers, ducts leading from the valve chambers into the pneumatics, valves designed to open and close communication between the vacuum chambers, atmospheric chamber, and the pneumatics, a slide valve seat provided With ducts leading from the atmosphere to beneath the alternately operated valves of the lower valve chamber, a slide valve provided with ducts designed to alternately register with the valve seat ducts, and suitable connecting means between the slide valve and the upper pneumatics, as and for the purpose specified.

4. In a device of the class described, a valve boX comprising an upper and lower valve chamber each divided into a vacuum and atmospheric chamber, pneumatics supported at the ends of the valve chambers, ducts leading from the valve chambers into the pneumatics, valves designed to open and close communication between the vacuum chambers, atmospheric chamber, and the pneumatics, a slide valve seat provided with ducts leading from the atmosphere to beneath the alternately operated valves of the lower valve chamber, a slide valve provided with ducts designed to alternately register with the valve seat ducts, and suitable connecting means between the slide valve and the upper pneumatics, as and for the purpose specified.

FRANK WVESLEY BULL.

Witnesses:

H. PRESTON, M. EGAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

